MURFREESBORO – Seven years ago, Medical Center Parkway didn’t exist; now, the new “gateway” corridor into Murfreesboro from Interstate 24 is burgeoning with commercial and residential growth — including the latest developments, two auto dealerships that are under construction. –

Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-GMC of Murfreesboro and Toyota of Murfreesboro are building facilities across Fortress Boulevard from each other on the south side of I-24 at Medical Center Parkway. –

Both are multimillion-dollar investments that are taking advantage of the burgeoning commercial corridor that leads to Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital, which opened nearly four years ago as the new Middle Tennessee Medical Center, said Brian Hercules, vice president for economic development at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. –

Although the dealerships themselves aren’t new — they’re both moving from other Murfreesboro locations — their choice of the Medical Center Parkway and I-24 area actually was part of the city’s master plan for the new gateway, Hercules said. –

“This is a very well-designed mixed-use corridor, and we kind of felt all along like auto dealers would come there at some point,” he said from the chamber’s headquarters — which itself is in the center of the development on Medical Center Parkway. Also in the area is The Avenue, an outdoor mall that houses anchor stores such as Belk, Best Buy and Petco. –

“That area had been on a lot of people’s radar, but some had delayed building because of the recession,” Hercules said. “Now that we’re coming out of the recession, businesses are willing to spend money again. I’m sure the car dealers are coming here because they’re looking to have new, modern facilities in a growing, high-traffic area, and the gateway provided that.” –

Construction began Feb. 7 on the new showrooms and service facilities for the Chevrolet-Cadillac-Buick-GMC dealership just off John Rice Boulevard, along and south of I-24. –

Shortly thereafter, Toyota of Murfreesboro broke ground on its new building along I-24 just across Fortress from the GM dealership site. The Toyota store is moving from its longtime location on South Church Street. –

New jobs expected

The GM dealerships are co-owned by Executive Manager Michael Creque and the majority partner, Florida megadealer Terry Taylor, and are now next to one another on Broad Street, adjacent to Ford of Murfreesboro. The Chevy store has been there since the early 1970s; the GMC and Buick franchises were added in 2009 after Neill Sandler closed further north on Broad.

The Chevy-Cadillac-Buick-GMC facility will cost a total of about $15 million and will bring up to 25 new jobs, Creque said. The dealership now has about 100 employees.

Taylor also is the majority owner of the Toyota and Ford dealerships, which he bought, along with the Chevy-Cadillac-Buick-GMC franchises, from the Alexander family in 2011; Neill Sandler owned the Toyota store until 2008.

The Ford dealership will be staying where it is and will build a new showroom next to its existing one, Creque said. The current GM store site next door will be “repurposed,” he added.

“Everybody is pretty excited about it,” Creque said. “I know our staff is. And there are a lot of people on that side of Murfreesboro who will find the new location more convenient for them. When you get off the interstate, one turn and you’re there.”

The GM store will have 55,000 square feet of space, including two showrooms — one for Chevrolet and the other for Cadillac-Buick-GMC, which are GM’s premium brands.

There also will be service facilities, a used-car operation, and probably a body shop/collision-repair center, Creque said. The GM dealerships now send their body shop customers next door to the Ford store’s collision center.

Creque said he expects to open the GM store in early February.

The new Toyota dealership is expected to open in early spring, said Charleen Coleman, the general sales manager.

“We’re excited about it, and we’re hoping to get in by late March,” she said.

Overall, the Medical Center Parkway area is bringing “a good mix of retail, residential and office space,” Hercules said. A big apartment complex is under construction just north of the hospital.

“You have to give credit to the city’s leaders for their vision. They did a good job with the layout, including all the trees and the split median.”